President Yoon Suk Yeol's mother-in-law, Choi Eun-soon, second from left, enters Euijeongbu District Court in Gyeonggi Province, July 21, 2023, to attend an appeals trial on an allegation that she forged financial documents used in a land purchase deal. Yonhap

President Yoon Suk Yeol's mother-in-law, currently serving a one-year prison term for forgery, had her parole put on hold Tuesday, three months ahead of the scheduled expiration of her term.

During a monthly session, the justice ministry's nine-member parole review board made the decision on Choi Eun-soon, the 77-year-old mother of first lady Kim Keon Hee.

Consequently, her parole will be reviewed again next month.

If she is granted parole next month, Choi will be discharged from prison around May 15, Buddha's Birthday, after final approval by Justice Minister Park Sung-jae.

The president's mother-in-law has been serving a one-year sentence at the Dongbu Detention Center in southeastern Seoul since an appellate court convicted her in July last year of forging financial documents used in a land purchase deal.

She was accused of forging bank balance statements on four occasions to falsely show bank deposits of 34.9 billion won ($25.3 million) in the process of purchasing land in Seongnam, south of Seoul, in 2013.

She had been considered for parole in the monthly review session in February but was not included among the final beneficiaries at that time.

By law, incarcerated convicts become eligible for a parole review after serving at least one-third of their prison sentences.

The review panel considers parole candidates' ages, criminal motives, criminal charges, the duration of their terms and the risks of second offenses when determining whether to grant parole. (Yonhap)